The Tale of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne
by 12anonymous33
Summary: Many stories and tales of the noble and heroic Jedi had permeated the Republic during its twilight years, including those of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne and the apprentices he would take under his tutelage.
1. Introduction

**A/N: This is a** **crossover AU I've had bouncing around in my head for a while. What do you think? If this gets enough good attention, I may expand on this AU some more.**

* * *

Many stories and tales of the noble and heroic Jedi had permeated the Republic during its twilight years, including those of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne and the apprentices he would take under his tutelage.

Wayne had always been a promising Youngling, and matured into one of the most formidable Knights to serve in the Order. Bruce's sheer power and speed were not easily matched, and he was a cunning tactician on the battlefield. He struck down his adversaries with little effort, always one step ahead of their plans. Bruce's morals were ironclad, and despite his brutal fighting style, he would not slay his opponents if he could avoid it. While the martial authority thrust onto the Jedi was intoxicating, Wayne's strong sense of justice proved incorruptible by the time he became a noble and disciplined Jedi Master.

Richard Grayson would be chosen to become Wayne's first Padawan learner. The Knight had been apprehensive at first; the young one radiated exuberance and gaiety that would certainly be undermined by the hardships of civil war. This did not faze Dick, and his cheery disposition would prove a valuable asset in the face of conflict. Despite their differences, the bond forged between the Padawan and his Master was an unbreakable chain of trust and affection. Under Bruce's guidance, Dick honed his natural acrobatic skills and dexterity to become a talented fighter. His twin lightsabers would become little more than blue blurs as he spun and flipped, disorientating his opponents. Inheriting his Master's teachings and strong resolve, Grayson took his Jedi Trials in stride and emerged as a brave Jedi Knight. Master Wayne could not have been prouder of his first Padawan.

Following Dick's advent into Knighthood, Wayne would take a new Padawan, Jason Todd, under his wing. He quickly realized that this student would not respond to his training in the way his first had. Bruce sensed a troubling darkness and anger in the boy, bred by the harshness of Coruscant's streets. Jason was always looking for trouble during his time at the Temple, picking more than a few fights with his fellow Younglings and earning more punishments than Master Wayne could keep track of. As such, the Master took a different approach to teaching his second Padawan. He took advantage of Jason's strength and rage, forming him into a warrior rivaling his own might. Todd was a force to be feared on the battlefield, savagely mowing down his enemies with little regard to his own safety or his Master's orders. This would result in a strained relationship between the two, and although Wayne grew to care deeply for his student, he feared Jason would be unable to control his inner lust for blood and vengeance. It was on one fateful mission that Jason was captured by Separatist forces after refusing to heed Master Wayne and Knight Grayson's warnings. The Padawan was presumed dead, sending Bruce on a downward spiral of regret and depression. He had failed his precious student.

Disturbed by Master Wayne's increasingly violent and choleric behavior, the Jedi Council saw it fit to pair Wayne with a third Padawan, Timothy Drake. They hoped he would be able to calm the grieving Master and save him from the darkness growing inside of him. Tim was not as deft as Grayson, nor did he possess Todd's brawn, but was just as talented in his own right. Like his Master, Drake was a cold and calculating fighter. In the heat of battle, he calmly analyzed his opponents, observing their weaknesses and only exploiting them when the time was right. He worked wonders in the field of technology, even constructing a double-bladed lightsaber to enhance his offensive and defensive capacities on the field. Master Wayne was impressed by his third Padawan's craftyness, but struggled to build a strong connection with the boy. Despite Bruce's aloof and detached attitude, Tim worked hard to please him, knowing of his inner suffering caused by Jason's demise, but soon began longing for a more meaningful bond with his Master.

Everything changed when the two were hunted down and confronted by a menacing new Sith apprentice dispatched by the Separatists. During the arduous clash of sabers which ensued, the man's identity was revealed. Wayne was emotionally crushed at the sight of the angry Jason Todd wielding a blood-red lightsaber. His former Padawan had survived his capture, but his newfound fury and hate for Bruce and Tim had consumed his being. He had fallen to the Dark Side and its promises of vengeance and power. Blinded by misery and guilt, Master Wayne had nearly fallen to his second protege, but Drake intervened. The boy knew he was no match for the enraged Todd, but managed to protect his Master until help arrived. It was after this painful encounter that Wayne resolved to better nurture Tim's growth, lest he stray down the dark path Jason took. The bond between Master and Padawan had finally flourished.

It wasn't long after that a Force-sensitive boy, Damian Al-Ghul, was unceremoniously dropped off by his mother at the Jedi Temple's front entrance. The Council, seeing that the boy was proficient in basic Force techniques, elected for him to join and train with the other Younglings. Damian immediately sought a private audience with Master Wayne, where he confided in the man that he was actually his blood son, birthed by an assassin from Bruce's past. The boy demanded his father take him on as his Padawan when he came of age, but was rejected. Bruce was still in the process of training Tim for Knighthood, and even if he hadn't already had a Padawan, working with his son would only arouse suspicion of their relation. Infuriated, Damian came to harbor a vendetta against Drake, using every opportunity he could to undermine and disparage him in hopes of taking his place. This only succeeded in estranging him from his father even more.

During his time as a Youngling, Damian was convinced he was far superior to his peers. He detested cooperating with the other children and had difficulty accepting the authority of his Jedi teachers. He found reason to antagonize everyone he came across, and some even went as far as label him a lost cause, destined to travel down the road to the Dark Side. Truthfully, Damian had only behaved in that manner to attract his father's attention and, perhaps, his approval. The boy had been tempted many a time to reveal his true lineage to the Council, but realized that he would only land his father in a great deal of trouble and vanquish any chance of learning under him. He found an unlikely mentor in the jovial Dick Grayson, who took the time to listen to his troubles and guide him through his first years at the Jedi Temple. Damian had to admit that, despite their stark differences, Knight Grayson had led him down the right path to becoming a Padawan of great potential. After earning his Kyber crystal and constructing his own lightsaber, Dick officially took him under his wing as his first student. Their unlikely bond would become unbreakable, with Grayson bestowing more kindness and support on the boy than he thought he deserved. The pain of rejection by his father would always haunt Damian, but he wouldn't trade the moments with his Master and the lessons he learned for anything in the galaxy.

These stories, and many more, chronicled the exploits and adventures of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne and the young men he would come to call his family through the Clone Wars and the inevitable fall of the Galactic Republic.


	2. Guidance

Damian stomped from his classroom, muttering and fuming down the length of the hallway. He had just received a harsh scolding from his hag of a teacher for "assaulting" another Youngling. Well, of course Damian had slapped the imbecile! He was trying to copy his assignment! Had these children no sense of integrity?

The other departing children filed out around Damian, making sure to give him a wide berth. They were wise to do so, as Damian would have gladly unleashed his wrath on whoever he crossed paths with. Ignoring their judgemental whispers and stares, the boy dashed off to find one of the only places he could relax in this forsaken Temple.

Damian crept out of the Temple and into one of its lush and peaceful courtyards. Sensing no other presence, he took a seat on the edge of a flowing fountain, glaring down at his reflection in the clear water. What he saw was the spitting image of the man he longed to train under, but paid him no attention whatsoever.

Damian scoffed. These Jedi were certainly lacking in their observational faculties for not realizing who he really was. And yet, they felt the need to reprimand and critique everything he did! It wasn't fair!

Suddenly, the Youngling felt his stress and frustration begin to drain from his being as a new, unusually bright presence approached him. Damian, however, knew better than to show any vulnerability to whoever had dared disturb his peaceful and quiet rage.

"Hello, Damian," came the annoyingly amicable greeting.

"Grayson," responded the boy curtly, refusing to lift his eyes and see the sunny smile he could already hear.

"You don't have to call me that, you know," the Jedi Knight continued, sitting down a little too close for Damian's comfort. What was it with this man and being friendly to everyone he met? One could easily take advantage of that kind of behavior.

"Tt. I shall call you what I please," sniffed Damian, finally lifting his head and glaring at his newfound companion. Dick Grayson only smiled lopsidedly down at him without a care in the world. Despite his infectious contentment, it would be a cold day in Hell before Damian returned his smile.

"Oh, Damian, you and your little attitude," chuckled Dick tiredly, twirling his lightsabers in his hands before hooking them on his belt. Damian raised an eyebrow, noting the slight sag in the Knight's posture. Had he just come from training or, perhaps, a mission?

"Is there anything I can help you with, Grayson?" Damian asked exasperatedly. He hadn't exactly asked for any company as he stewed in his hopeless solitude.

"No, I was merely hoping to strike up a conversation," Dick replied good-naturedly. "How were your classes today?" he inquired as if he wasn't speaking to one of the most troubled Younglings at the Temple.

"Unproductive, as usual," Damian found himself saying before he could order the man to leave him be. His eyes narrowed; it seemed he had underestimated the influence of Grayson's presence. Just what was his angle in seeking the boy out?

"Really? Surely, you must've learned something new," Dick reasoned, that smile never leaving his face for a moment. How could he stand to be so chipper all day? "Perhaps something about the history of the Jedi? How about a new Force technique? Any new friends?"

Damian had clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip as the elder man rambled on. He'd rather claw his own eyes out than spill the misery and frustration that threatened to bubble to the surface. What would Mother think? But yet...he just couldn't keep silent any longer!

"NO! I never learn anything useful in those terrible classes!" the boy cried, tossing his hands in the air and startling Grayson into silence. "I can't stand being surrounded by those malcontents! I'm going to be a greater Jedi than any of them will ever dream of being, but no one acknowledges me! All the teachers do is criticize my talents! Even Father! They all HATE me!"

By then, the floodgates had burst open, month worths of unshed tears flowing down Damian's face. The despondent boy struggled to muffle his sobs in the sleeves of his robe. He just wished Grayson wouldn't just sit and stare at his dramatics. He'd rather the Knight leave him like all the rest. That was why Damian was shocked to feel a calloused hand pushing his dark hair away from his face, and another gently wiping the moisture away. Why was he still there? Was he not disgusted by the sniveling child before him?

"Shh, little one, it'll be alright," Grayson soothed, the soft sound of his voice moving from his side to right in front of him. Consumed by sadness and shame, Damian did not dare open his eyes.

"Damian, please open your eyes," the Knight implored. The boy composed himself enough for his sobbing to cease, hiccuping miserably as he beheld the tear-blurred face in front of him.

"I understand that you didn't have the luxury of being born into the Order like the other children," Grayson smiled melancholically, hand brushing the boy's hair and coming to rest on his shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you won't be a great Jedi. I, for one, think you've got a lot a potential."

"R-really?" Damian stammered, rubbing his sore eyes.

"Of course you do! You're way more talented in the Force than I was at your age, and you've even mastered some basic combat!" The Knight grinned, speaking truthfully. "But, it's gonna take a bit more than that to become a Padawan worth training."

"Like what?" Damian sniffed, blinking his remaining tears away. He found himself eager to hear Grayson's advice, if only to prove his worth to his fellow Jedi.

"I know you're not gonna like this," Dick sighed, sitting back on his haunches in front of the boy a running a hand through his messy hair. "But, you must turn away from the arrogance and pride inside of you. You may think you're better than the others, but you have to earn their respect and approval. Show them that the path of the Jedi is the one you plan on walking, no matter what. Even if that means holding your tongue, getting along with your classmates, and completing assignments you think are trivial."

Damian was definitely not keen on humbling himself to please his Jedi teachers. It went against all of the egocentric values his Mother had drilled into him during their time together. However, life in the Jedi Order had proved to be unlike anything the boy had experienced. He knew he had to adapt and make a change if he wished to grow into an accomplished warrior.

"Strive for excellence in everything you do, Damian," Dick continued, "Your peers will appreciate your drive and dedication, and they'll come to appreciate you for your unique talents. As long as you work hard and believe in your abilities, the approval you seek from your teachers, Bruce, and even Tim will come naturally."

That last statement nearly made Damian giggle out loud, and he quickly disguised the sound as one of his signature scoffs. "Tt. I do not require Drake's acceptance. He's too busy being coddled by Father to care."

"Ha! That's one way of putting it!" Grayson barked a laugh, and Damian couldn't help but smile at the man's infectious merriment. Grayson certainly had a way with the Younglings; Damian could not recall the last time he'd felt so optimistic and high-spirited. He'd sooner leap from a skyscraper than admit that, but he was grateful for Grayson's advice nonetheless.

"If that is the path I must follow to achieve greatness at the Temple, then so be it!" announced the boy determinedly, face dry and clean once more. "But I'm only doing it so you can get off my case and do something useful with all the excess time you have on your hands."

"Sounds good to me," chuckled the Knight, getting back up and sitting down next to the Youngling. "Thank you for listening, Damian. I'll always be here if you need any more guidance."

"You're welcome, Grayson," replied the boy in a tone that may or may not have been genuine. "But, we are never to discuss what just occurred ever again, understood? It never happened."

"Of course, Damian."


End file.
